Wheelbarrow leg stabilizer

ABSTRACT

A wheelbarrow leg stabilizer having a slip resistant lower surface is provided. Preferably, the slip resistant lower surface includes a plurality of edges structured to engage the ground and thereby increase the starting friction. More preferably, the edges are part of a deformation in the leg stabilizer body. When the stabilizer body is constructed from a generally planar metal member, the deformations may be punched in the stabilizer body thereby creating openings adjacent the deformations. This configuration provides for both an edge that engages the ground but also a face that creates a larger contact surface with the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to wheelbarrows and, more specifically, toa wheelbarrow having a leg stabilizer with a slip resistant surface.

2. Description of the Related Art

As is well known, a wheelbarrow has a hopper or tray and a frameassembly. The frame assembly includes a plurality of rigid framemembers, at least one wheel, typically disposed at the front of thetray, and a pair of handles extending behind the tray. Two elongatedframe members typically form a yoke to support the wheel and thebackwardly extending handles. The frame members further include at leastone, and typically two, legs structured to engage the ground when thewheelbarrow is at rest. The legs may be columnar members, i.e. generallystraight posts, or, more typically, are generally U-shaped membershaving two “tines” and a “bight.” The bight is the portion of the legmembers that engages the ground. The tines extend upwardly and arecoupled to the elongated frame members forming the yoke/handles. Thetines and the bight are, typically, elongated and straight. That is, thelegs are “generally” U-shaped, but the bight is not curved except at theends where a transition portion curves into the tines. The bight isstructured to extend generally parallel to the ground. Hereinafter, itis assumed that the ground is flat and horizontal. Thus, the bightportion of each leg extends generally horizontally. In thisconfiguration, substantially the entire lower surface of the bightengages the ground.

The traditional wheelbarrow frame has been improved by addingstabilizers to the legs. A typical stabilizer, see e.g. U.S. Des. Pat.No. 408,955, is also a generally U-shaped body that is coupled to thebackward tine of a frame assembly leg. One of the tines of thestabilizer is aligned with the bight and extends therefrom. That is, thestabilizer's U-shaped body is oriented sideways relative to the leg. Theother tine of the stabilizer body extends upwardly and is coupled to thetine of the leg. In this configuration, the leg stabilizer increases thelength of the ground engaging portion of the leg and helps support theleg. The longer ground engaging portion provides for a greater area ofcontact between the wheelbarrow and the ground. Thus, there is anincrease in the static friction or “starting friction” between theground and the wheelbarrow. While this is not a substantial problem whena wheelbarrow is on flat ground, sliding becomes an issue on a slopedsurface. That is, without a sufficient starting friction, a wheelbarrowmay start to slide down a slope even when the legs are resting on theground. The leg stabilizers presently in use have generally smooth lowersurfaces. This is a problem because generally smooth surfaces do notcreate as much starting friction as a slip resistant surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed and claimed concept provides for a leg stabilizer having aslip resistant lower surface. Preferably, the slip resistant lowersurface includes a plurality of edges structured to engage the groundand thereby increase the starting friction. More preferably, the edgesare part of a deformation in the leg stabilizer body. When thestabilizer body is constructed from a generally planar metal member, thedeformations may be punched in the stabilizer body thereby creatingopenings adjacent the deformations. This configuration provides for bothan edge that engages the ground but also a face that creates a largercontact surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a wheelbarrow.

FIG. 2 is a side view of one embodiment of a leg stabilizer with a slipresistant member.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the leg stabilizer with a slip resistantmember shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a leg stabilizerwith a slip resistant member.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a leg stabilizerwith a slip resistant member.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a leg stabilizerwith a slip resistant member.

FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of a leg stabilizerstructured to be coupled to a slip resistant member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, “coupled” means a link between two or more elements,whether direct or indirect, so long as a link occurs.

As used herein, “directly coupled” means that two elements are directlyin contact with each other.

As used herein, “fixedly coupled” or “fixed” means that two componentsare coupled so as to move as one while maintaining a constantorientation relative to each other. The fixed components may, or maynot, be directly coupled.

As used herein, the word “unitary” means a component is created as asingle piece or unit. That is, a component that includes pieces that arecreated separately and then coupled together as a unit is not a“unitary” component or body.

As used herein, directional terms, such as, but not limited to,“forward,” “back,” “right,” “left,” “upper,” “lower,” and “lateral”correspond to the orientation of the wheelbarrow from the perspective ofa user standing at the handle portion looking toward the hopper—that is,the normal position a user would occupy to move the wheelbarrow.Further, the “longitudinal” axis shall mean an axis extendingforward/backward and the “lateral” axis shall mean an axis extending tothe left/right. Such directional terms are not limiting upon the claims.

As used herein, “laterally extending,” as in a “laterally extendingedge,” means that two points on the edge are spaced laterally from eachother. The edge may, however, extend a greater distance in thelongitudinal direction. For example, a “V” shaped edge, wherein thelongitudinal axis of the “V” is aligned with the longitudinal axis ofthe wheelbarrow has a “laterally extending” edge even though the edgemay extend for a greater distance in the longitudinal direction.

As used herein, “laterally perpendicular,” as in a “laterallyperpendicular edge,” means that the edge extends substantially in alateral direction.

As used herein, “structured to engage the ground,” when used inreference to a surface contacting the ground, means that the surface hasat least one thin protrusion, or a protrusion with an edge, whereinforce may be concentrated. That is, a generally smooth surface with noprotrusions, or rounded protrusions, is not “structured to engage theground.”

As shown in FIG. 1, a wheelbarrow 10 has a tray 12 and a frame assembly14. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the wheelbarrow 10 is resting ongenerally flat ground unless otherwise noted. The frame assembly 14includes a plurality of rigid members 16 structured to support the tray12 as well as a wheel 18. Further, frame assembly members 16 extendbackwardly from the tray 12 and may be used as handles 20. Frameassembly members 16 also extend forwardly and form a yoke 22 that isstructured to rotatably support the wheel 18. Typically, the yoke 22 isdisposed at the front of the wheelbarrow 10 and is structured to supportone wheel 18. In this configuration, the frame assembly 14 furtherincludes two legs 24, 26 structured to engage the ground. The groundengaging legs 24, 26 along with the wheel 18 provide three supportpoints for the wheelbarrow 10, the minimum number to prevent thewheelbarrow 10 from tipping over when at rest. The ground engaging legs24, 26 include a generally horizontal portion 28 structured to engagethe ground.

The legs 24, 26 are substantially similar and hereinafter only one leg24 will be used as an example. It is understood that the followingdescription is applicable to both legs 24, 26. The leg 24 is generally aU-shaped body 30 and the leg body 30 may have a U-shaped cross-section.That is, the body 30 typically starts as an elongated rectangularmember. Initially, the lateral edges, i.e. the edges extending in thelongitudinal direction, of the rectangular member are bent to aboutninety degrees relative to the broad middle portion of the rectangularmember. In this configuration, the rectangular body has a U-shapedcross-section with square corners. The bent edges provide rigidity tothe rectangular member. The rectangular member is then bent into a verygeneral U-shape having two tines, a forward tine 40 and a rear tine 42,and a bight 44. The leg 24 has a “very general” U-shape in that thebight 44 is preferably elongated and generally flat and the tines 40, 42are not parallel. The tines 40, 42 each have an upper, distal end 41,43. The tine upper ends 41, 43 are coupled to the frame assembly 14 orthe bottom of the tray 12. The bight 44 is the generally horizontalportion 28 structured to engage the ground. That is, the bight 44extends generally parallel to the ground. The bight 44 has an uppersurface 50 and a lower surface 52. The lower surface 52 engages theground.

The frame assembly 14 further includes a leg stabilizer 60. A single legstabilizer 60 is described but it is understood that a stabilizer 60 maybe coupled to each leg 24, 26. Various embodiments of the leg stabilizerare shown in FIGS. 2-6. Each of the embodiments include the followingfeatures. The stabilizer 60 is an elongated body 62 having an elongated,generally horizontal, slip resistant member 64. The stabilizer 60 iscoupled to the ground engaging leg 24 with the slip resistant member 64being generally aligned with the ground engaging leg generallyhorizontal portion 28, i.e. the bight 44. The stabilizer 60 may beformed in a manner similar to the leg 24 described above. That is, inone embodiment the stabilizer 60 is a unitary body, such as a thin,rectangular member, preferably made of a sheet metal such as, but notlimited to, steel. The lateral edges are bent to about ninety degrees,thereby stiffening the rectangular member and providing a U-shapedcross-section. Further, the body 62 itself may be shaped very generallyas a sideways “U” or a “V” having two tines, a horizontal tine 65 and avertically angled tine 67. That is, the oriented sideways so that thehorizontal tine 65 extends generally horizontally and the verticallyangled tine 67 extends upwardly at an angle. The generally horizontaltine 65 is disposed in about the same plane as the leg bight 44. Thevertically angled tine 67 is coupled to, and supports, the leg rear tine42. The leg stabilizer further includes a coupling device 69 such as,but not limited to, a fastener opening 69A through which a fastener mayextend. The frame assembly leg 24 includes corresponding fasteneropenings (not shown),

The slip resistant member 64 may be a portion of the stabilizer unitarybody 62 or a slip resistant separate member 64A, as discussed below, andincludes an upper surface 66 and a lower surface 68. The slip resistantmember lower surface 68 has at least one downwardly extending protrusion70 that is structured to engage the ground. More preferably, theprotrusion 70 has an edge 72 that is structured to engage the ground.That is, the “edge,” as used herein, has an angle greater than about 10degrees and is not rounded. At least a portion of the protrusion edge 72is a laterally extending edge and, more preferably, the protrusion edge72 is a laterally perpendicular edge. The edge 72 is discussed in detailbelow. Further, there may be, and preferably are, more than oneprotrusion 70. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, there are threeprotrusions 70 disposed on and along the longitudinal axis of the slipresistant member 64. An alternate embodiment is shown in FIG. 3 havingtwo rows of protrusions 70 disposed on either side of the longitudinalaxis of the slip resistant member 64. Preferably, each protrusion 70 hasan edge 72.

The protrusion 70 may be many shapes such as, but not limited to,X-shaped, V-shaped, +-shaped, or wavy lines (none shown). Each of theseshapes have a lateral component, i.e. some portion of the pattern spacedlaterally from another part. The protrusion edge 72 is located at leaston the laterally spaced portions of the pattern. In a preferredembodiment, the protrusion edge 72 is a laterally perpendicular edge 72and may be formed as described below.

As noted above, the stabilizer body 62 may be made from sheet metal.Sheet metal may be deformed with a punch and die. Moreover, if a portionof the stabilizer body adjacent the punch is supported, i.e. notpermitted to deform, the stabilizer body 62 will tear. That is, anopening 80 will form in the stabilizer body 62. In this configuration,the portion of the stabilizer body 62 that is deformed is the protrusion70. Further, the protrusion 70 will have a sharp edge 72, typicallyabout a ninety degree edge disposed adjacent to the opening 80. By wayof example, a punch (not shown) may be shaped as a semi-circle. Theportion of the stabilizer body 62 adjacent the diameter of the punch issupported. When the punch engages the stabilizer body 62 a semi-circulardeformation or protrusion 70 is formed, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.Further, because a portion of the stabilizer body 62 was supported, thatportion will not deform. If the deformation has a sufficient offset,i.e. depth below the plane of the stabilizer body 62, the stabilizerbody 62 will tear forming a semi-circular protrusion 70 adjacent anopening 80, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

This protrusion 70 has a sharp edge 72, typically about a ninety degreeedge, adjacent the opening and along the portion of the protrusion 70having the greatest deformation. This edge 72 is structured to engagethe ground and thereby create a greater starting friction. Moreover, theprotrusion 70 preferably includes a “face” 82, i.e., the substantiallyvertical surface adjacent the opening 80. The edge 72 is disposed at thelower periphery of the associated face 82. The face 82 of the protrusion70 may also engage the ground or surface the wheelbarrow 10 is restingupon. For example, if a loaded wheelbarrow 10 is resting on a woodenramp (not shown), the weight of the wheelbarrow 10 may cause thedownwardly extending protrusion 70, and more specifically the edge 72 ofthe protrusion 70, to dig slightly into the wood. In this configuration,the face 82 of the protrusion 70 engages the wood and helps increase thestarting friction.

It can be seen that the side of the semi-circular protrusions 70opposite the face 82 is a rounded surface. That is, the side of thesemi-circular protrusions 70 opposite the face 82 does not form an edge.This means that the wheelbarrow 10 has a reduced starting friction whenmoved in a direction aligned with a path extending from the face 82towards the rounded portion of the protrusion 70. Thus, if there aremultiple protrusions 70, as preferred, and if all the faces 82 faced thesame direction, e.g. forward, the wheelbarrow 10 would be substantiallyresistant to moving in one direction, but not as resistant to moving inthe other direction. Accordingly, it is preferred that the faces 82 facedifferent directions. More specifically, and ignoring the slight inwardangle associated with a typical frame assembly handle member 20, atleast one protrusion face 82 is a forwardly facing face 82A and at leastone protrusion face 82 is a backwardly facing face 82B, as shownalternately in FIGS. 4 and 5. In this configuration, the wheelbarrow 10is resistant to slipping either forward or backward.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, the at least one protrusion 70is shaped as a truncated cone 90. That is, the cone 90 extendsdownwardly to a central opening 92. The central opening 92 defines theedge 72. Preferably, the central opening 92 is circular, therebyproviding an edge with portions that are laterally offset from eachother, i.e. a lateral edge 72.

In another embodiment, the slip resistant member 64 is a slip resistantseparate member 64A, i.e., a slip resistant member body 100 that iscoupled to stabilizer body 62. For example, the slip resistant memberbody 100 may be an elongated, rectangular body 100 having an uppersurface 102 and a lower surface 104. As before, there is at least one,and preferably a plurality of, protrusion(s) 70 disposed on the slipresistant member body lower surface 104. These protrusions 70 may be ofany type such as, but not limited to, those embodiments described above.The slip resistant member body 100 has a coupling device 106, as shown aflanged clip, structured to couple the slip resistant member body 100 tothe stabilizer body 62.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been described indetail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alternatives to those details could be developed inlight of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example, thewheelbarrow frame assembly 14 may be comprised of circular/tubularmembers. If so, the leg stabilizer body 62 and/or the slip resistantmember 64 or slip resistant member body 100 may be shaped with across-sectional arc so as to match the frame assembly 14. In such aconfiguration, the protrusions 70 would, preferably, be disposed alongthe lowest portion of the slip resistant member 64 or slip resistantmember body 100. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed aremeant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of theinvention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claimsand any and all equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A stabilizer for a wheelbarrow frame assemblyleg, said wheelbarrow frame assembly having a plurality of rigid membersstructured to support a tray and structured to have at least one wheelrotatably coupled thereto, at least one frame member structured to actas a ground engaging leg to support a wheelbarrow at rest, saidstabilizer comprising: a body having a generally horizontal slipresistant member; said generally horizontal slip resistant member havingan upper surface and a lower surface; said slip resistant member lowersurface having at least one downwardly extending protrusion, said atleast one protrusion structured to engage the ground; wherein said atleast one protrusion has an edge, said edge structured to engage theground; wherein at least a portion of said protrusion edge is alaterally extending edge; said at least one protrusion structured toengage the ground includes a plurality of protrusions; each of saidplurality of protrusions having an edge structured to engage the ground;each said protrusion edge haying a laterally extending portion; eachsaid protrusion has at least one substantially vertical face; each saidedge disposed at the lower periphery of the associated face; at leastone said protrusion face being a forwardly facing face; at least onesaid protrusion face being a backwardly facing face; said body is aunitary body with said slip resistant member being a thin portion ofsaid body assembly unitary body; each said protrusion being adeformation in said thin member; each said deformation creating anopening in said thin member; and each said thin member opening disposedadjacent to each said protrusion face.
 2. A wheelbarrow comprising: atray; a frame assembly having a plurality of rigid members and at leastone wheel; said rigid members structured to support said tray andstructured to have said at least one wheel rotatably coupled thereto, atleast one frame member structured to act as a ground engaging leg tosupport a wheelbarrow at rest; said ground engaging leg having agenerally horizontal portion structured to engage the around; astabilizer having a body with a generally horizontal slip resistantmember; said stabilizer coupled to said ground engaging leg with saidslip resistant member being aligned with said ground engaging leggenerally horizontal portion; said generally horizontal slip resistantmember having an upper surface and a lower surface; said slip resistantmember lower surface has at least one downwardly extending protrusion,said at least one protrusion structured to engage the ground; whereinsaid at least one protrusion has an edge, said edge structured to engagethe ground; wherein at least a portion of said protrusion edge is alaterally extending edge; said at least one protrusion structured toengage the ground includes a plurality of protrusions; each of saidplurality of protrusions having an edge structured to engage the ground;and each said protrusion edge having a laterally extending portion; eachsaid protrusion has at least one substantially vertical face; each saidedge disposed at the lower periphery of the associated face; at leastone said protrusion face being a forwardly facing face; at least onesaid protrusion face being a backwardly facing face; said body is aunitary body with said slip resistant member being a thin portion ofsaid body assembly unitary body; each said protrusion being adeformation in said thin member; each said deformation creating anopening in said thin member; and each said thin member opening disposedadjacent to each said protrusion face.